Saturday, October 21, 2006

It Might Not Be What I Ordered, But This is What I Gotor: Random Catching Up Post

This week has seemed incredibly long. Probably because last weekend was the marathon and I (horror of horrors) didn't attend a formal church gathering last Sunday. But that's neither here nor there. Whatever the case, it made the week seem a lot longer than a usual one. Adding to that was the fact that I was recovering from the race, meaning no running, which is never good.

First things first: I felt almost completely recovered from the marathon by Wednesday. All except for my ankles, where I had laced my shoes too tightly, that is. They're still a little swollen.Also, less than a week after running, I'm already looking for my next long run. I'm leaning toward another trail run, but we'll see. I guess I've got a short memory.

The next thing was quite a downer for my week. I found out that Dr. Jeff Greenway, the president of Asbury Seminary, had resigned. Now that news itself doesn't bother me much; I never knew Dr. Greenway, as he came after I'd graduated. Additionally I know nothing of his leadership style or his personality. I frankly do not know anything about him. But apparently he got a negative evaluation at the end of August and was put on leave on the first of September. It seems that although faculty and students supported him, he clashed with seminary trustees, and that got him the boot (please note that there was no moral failure or anything like that which precipitated this resignation).Yesterday I received a letter from the seminary, but it was dated mid-September and it said that the trustees and Dr. Greenway were praying about direction. It doesn't seem like Dr. Greenway really had any say. "You can quit or you can be fired" seem to be the options he had. Now he's "beginning "a new season of ministry" according to the board president. Nice spin.Why am I riled up about this, seeing how I never met him? Why, you ask? Because this is exactly what happened to me at my last church. I received a poor performance evaluation and before I'd seen anything, the PPR Committee and senior pastor, meeting behind closed doors (without me present), voted that I should be "moved." Please know that I realize that I do not have all the details. I just know that the whole thing stinks.

Jonathan and I got haircuts this week. We went to Que's Barbershop in New Bremen. It was an entirely good experience. Jonathan played with toy tractors (they were all there for kids to play with) while I got my hair cut. Then it was his turn. One thing that was neat was that the barber showed him everything he was going to do and let him touch the clippers and everything. Jonathan didn't even cry one time. He did so well!

Finally, today I got the invitation to our district Christmas party. Now, we'd been warned about this party a while back (and pretty much told that we and our spouses have to attend, so "save the date"). Anyway, the party just happened to be scheduled at the same time as one of the Columbus Bach Ensemble's performances, so my spouse is off the hook. They actually do have child care for this event(so in theory I could still go without springing for a babysitter), but a couple of things bother me about it. First, the event starts at 6:00 pm and dinner starts at 6:30. They have promised entertainment beyond the food - so I don't imagine it'll be a dinner-and-done kind of thing. Meaning it won't be done until 8 or 9 pm. Meaning w-a-y after my boys' bedtime. Add to that the fact that the childcare is "somewhere off site" and you have a recipe for disaster. I don't want to send my kids "somewhere off site" for a late night while I sit by myself (or sit and chit-chat with people with whom the only connection I have is that we happen to be Northwest Plains District Clergy - and which ones are even in my general age category?) at a Christmas party that's meant for clergy and our spouses. There is nothing so lonely as being alone in a crowd.So I'll pass on the clergy Christmas party.

5 comments:

Devil's Advocate sez maybe you oughta try and go to the Christmas party anyway; like it or not you're working in a field where reputation matters a bit, and some amount of required socializing is just as much part of the job as digging another ton of salt. Besides if you go in there with mighty low expectations, they may even be exceeded. (and if not, perhaps a great war story that will be entertaining long after the irritation subsides).

Maybe I ought to mention here that I too am in a profession where reputation matters, and some required socialization is par for the course, often with aged academics with completely different interests to mine, and perhaps major ego problems as well. And I often do whatever I can to avoid such events. So please don't think I'm dispensing advice from a holier-than-thou perspective, I'm offering a suggestion that maybe I ought to look at myself too.

I remember back when Noblesvillian's company had Christmas parties; often he and some of his less-social friends would sit together, and once I got deserted at the table with a bunch of people I didn't know for a looong time while he sat in the corner with his friends. I was not very happy and did not have fun. And they (the people I was with) were all 20 years older than I, wealthy and fairly if not very condescending. At least there was good food and desserts at the event. And, it would be something for our story-telling time. Perhaps it could replace a youth group story from days of yore...

I think the setup for the Christmas party sounds downright miserable. Recently my husband had a similar event to attend and I just disappeared after dinner to go rescue my child who was at home with family-babysitters. I got points for showing up but still got my kid to bed at a decent time.

The church I attend now is having a dinner for new members with childcare offsite. We're not going...offsite childcare for my one-year-old who still gets cranky in the evening is just a bad, bad idea. Of course, attendance at my dinner isn't at politically astute as yours...I'm just saying that I feel your pain.

I don't know which is worse for the District Christmas party: Friday night at dark thirty or Saturday morning for brunch; kids in tow or not. Either way, most of the time, it's a lot of dress up for not much fun.